Thursday, September 12, 2019
Components: 1a, #1a, 1.a., 1b, #1b, 1.b., 1c, #1c, 1.c., 5a, #5a, 5.a., 6a #6a, 6.a.
Written by Joseph Kanke: Statewide Coaching Coordinator
A special thank you to Shavana Talbert, Lisa Nigl, Mary Rosenthal, and Tara Jaeger for taking the time to sit down with me and share their insights.
Each quarter this newsletter will highlight a success story of one district or school in their implementation of coaching. A variety of regions, district sizes, types of coaching and grade levels will be showcased. A reference to specific programs and models does not denote an endorsement from myself or the state. Rather, by sharing the many methods of coaching, your school or district may be better informed as to what might work best for you.
Fond du Lac
If you’ve ever been around a couple, siblings or friends whose thoughts are free-floating, and each voice is a thread of the same story; picking up seamlessly where the other has left off, then you can relate to how I felt sitting with four members of Fond du Lac’s instructional coaching team. Usually when I sit down to a group or team conversation, I am mindful to invite the voices of quieter participants. This group however, looked toward each other’s collective expertise. Throughout the duration of our discussion phrases such as, “Tell them about that one time you…” and “I wish so-and-so were here, they could speak to this the best” and “What do you think” were commonplace. It came as no surprise to me, then that when asked what made their coaching program unique, their first response was collaborative team time.
The second component that makes their program stand out is equity coaching. The district has committed resources to hiring an equity coach and the entire coaching team is pursuing ongoing learning regarding equity which they are transferring to coaching conversations.
Collaborating as Coaches
In my experience, coaches are often isolated, either in their physical placement at a building or within a content. Without the opportunity to connect, reflect, and question it can be difficult to grow your art. We know the importance of collaboration in education, it’s why we’ve invested so much time, research and resources into models like PLCs and Co-teaching. Why then, has the education realm mostly relinquished coaches to scroll through twitter in hopes of an opportunity to learn and network?
It doesn’t have to be this way though, as evidenced during my recent visit to Fond du Lac. The coaches acknowledged that in the initial years the coaching program was, as they put it, vague. Their defined role was unclear, and as a result, many teachers worried they were an added level of evaluation. The coaching team has overcome these barriers in part thanks to a “paramount leadership backing at the district level and opportunity to collaborate.” The group of four further acknowledged that as a team they embrace individual expertise and a culture of growth mindset. This team mindset has become rather infectious and has carried over into the coaches’ partnering with teachers.
Entering into the sixth year of the program, the majority of teachers trust and value coaching as a support. The team has adopted a model of partnership coaching which is dependent on modeling risk-taking and being transparent. The coaches are not the experts, but rather partners to push teacher thinking via reflective questioning. Furthermore, building level administration sees coaches as integral to the instructional framework of their buildings and have begun to include coaches in leadership team meetings and data retreats.
Pivotal to a strong district culture of coaching has been the use of weekly meetings where coaches have an opportunity to coach each other. When a coach is met with a challenge - possibly a teacher who has not yet found value in process or systems barrier like scheduling--they bring it to the weekly meeting for a jam session. There is a high level of trust and transparency with the group so barriers are laid out on the table and they coalesce around possible solutions. They also hold each other accountable to engage in difficult conversations and role play scenarios to continually flex their coaching muscles.
In the coaching world there is an adage that, “Coaches need coaches.” Fond du Lac takes this even further, “Coaches build better coaches.”
Equity Coaching
This team’s growth mindset has lead them down a new journey over the past two years. They have been working with district equity coach Shavana Talbert in group and individualized learning around what it means to be an educator committed to equity.
Shavana shared that the development of her role as an equity coach has been unique to the Fond du Lac school district as a whole because it explicitly calls on educators to talk about equity and racial justice at the core of education. Before even taking the position, Shavana said she was aware that this work was too big for one person and that stepping into the coaching team was a huge leverage for the work.
“In a sense,” she stated, “this has become a team supporting equity. They have claimed this work as their own. Individually they have taken risks, engaged in race-based dialogue and are now transferring these skills. We are strides ahead of where we started. Educators are starting to see that everyone is part of the system and needs to take ownership.”
As a result of the team’s significant outreach, Shavana has noticed shifts to more inclusive language and more equity-based questions from both teachers and administrators.
Building upon a strong team foundation, Fond du Lac coaches are making strides in bringing equity coaching to buildings and capitalizing on the district’s goal to have these conversations.
The above article attempted to zoom in on Fond du Lac’s coaching system. Below is a transcript from a conversation with Lisa Nigl (LN), Mary Rosenthal (MR) and Tara Jaeger (TJ) on individual coaching strategies and lessons learned.
Individual Coaching Transcript
How do you work with reluctant coachees?
TJ--My number one priority when I begin coaching a teacher is building relationships. Engaging in conversations to help build a non-threatening environment. I might then sweep a coaching comment in, “I’ll be here next Tuesday-you want to chat?” I just spin in little things until the relationship is built and I can be a little more constant. They want to see you in the building. If you have a whole grade level that is reluctant, they still need to see that you are there. They need us to feel like we are part of them, part of the team.
MR--I agree, it’s all about relationships. It’s about constant dialogue.
Tell me about a learning moment you experienced as a coach?
TJ--I have learned it is important to get the full story. When a teacher is frustrated, I dismiss any judgement and assumptions and instead listen from a place of curiosity. When teachers come to you, you need to be careful to not get riled up in your own emotions.
LN--I’ve learned how to gradually shift the responsibility. I’ve learned to clarify my role so that I’m in a true partnership and not carrying the load on my own.
MR--I’ve learned that when I coach a teacher, every teacher is different than me and no matter what support I give them or strategies, it may not look exactly how I would have it look, but it has to work for them.
What is one educational text that you have read recently that resonated with you? Why did you find it relevant to your practice?
MR--I’m reading Significant 72 right now and it speaks to how relationships are key to learning. It speaks to what courageous teachers do in the classroom to motivate kids and get them involved in the classroom.
LN--As a team we read White Fragility. The conversations we have had around race has made a huge impact on me as an individual, how I enter classrooms, how I enter conversations, keeping it at the forefront of my mind. It helps me to start conversations about race with teachers. We have a goal to continue having these conversations as a coaching team.
TJ--Between the World and Me--This was very impactful in starting my journey. Another one that I’m currently working through Race Talk and it speaks to inserting yourself into conversations about race and equity.